Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-02-23
REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS
n ade by the Railroad Commissioner. a,
the Accident on the Central Vermont
Railroad
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT. Feb. %

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT, Feb. %.
| Inc board of railroad commissioners to-
DAY made public its report on the recent dis
aster at Hartford bridge on the Central vi.
railroad From the report the following
facts are taken:
| Ihe wrecked train was the night express
from Montreal which left White River June
tion at z. 10 on the morning of Feb 5, and
was one hour and half late. The train was
made up in the following order: Locomotive
ana tender, baggage car, combination mail
ana smoker, Boston coach, Springfield coach,
Springfield sleeper, ST. Albaus and Boston
sleeper, Pilgrim. The number of passenger.
on the train were II, distributed as follows;
In the smoker, 8; Boston coach, 26, Spring.
neId coach, u; Springfield sleeper, 8; Bos-
Ton sleeper, IL The train mea were: Con.
uuctor' engineer, hremeu, 2 brakemen, bag
gage man, expressman. 2 postal clerks Pull
man conductor. and 2 Pullman porters. Af-
ter giving the exact location of the bridge
and describing the curves and grades, the
report continues: At point SO feet from
Inc aoutment at the south end of the brilge
and while the train was moving at a speed
of less than ~ miles an hour, the rear sleep
en- Pligrlm. was thrown from the rails but
Kept the road bed until it came to the bridge
when the rear end swung to the right of the
track, 10 the deck of the bridge and to the
frozen river below, a distance of 43 feet.
drawing with it the sleeper and the two
coaches IN front, ali of which were crushed
IN the wreck. Fire then broke out in sever.
al places and in Is minutes the car was ali
enveloped in flames. The report then gives
the number of persons that persisted and also
deals at some length with the arrangements
made for the relief of the wounded and the
investigations made at the scene of the disas-
ter by members of the board. The formal
hearing by the board begun Feb. 7 and Al
witnesses have been examined including
tram men, persons injured and expert me-
chanlcs. Two rails were found broken about
900 feet from the south end of the bridge
There were fange marks on the ties and the
frozen earth and also indications of heavy
blows on some of the ties for several rod,
before the bridge was reached. The middle
journal of the forward truck of the sleeper
"PllRrim," was broken midway between the
wheels some time during the accident.
The board finds that the running of the
train was properly managed on the part of
all concerned therein. 1t was properly
slowed up as it came near the curve and the
bridge. The opening of the throttle and pull
ing part of the train away from the falling
cars by the engineer after his discovery of
the situation is approved and the efforts of
the men to save life are commended. The
accident is attributed to the broken rail.
which caused the breaking of the central
journal of forward trucks of the sleeper Pill
grim in some way unknown to the board, but
probably by being struck by portion of a
broken rail; thereupon the other wheels of
the truck began to run irregularly and crowd
out from the inner rail Of the curve and TO
strike the ties with the broken end of the
journal, till coming to the ties of the bridge,
with deep openings between them, the car
was thrown from the bridge to the right, and
those that went down in front of it were
dragged of the bridge in succession by the
strong Miller couplings that bound the train
together. The opening of the throttle by the
engineer as he saw the rear of the train fall
ing, detached the mail car from the train be
hind it and saved the remainder of the train
from being wrecked
The board regards it due to the corporation
as well as to the public to state also that.
from the evidence before it, it appears, and
the board finds, that the defect in the rail
which caused the derailment was of such a
character that it could not be detected until
disclosed by the breaking of the iron.